May 6, 2016
On April 28, AGBU President Berge Setrakian was honored by the Diocese of the Armenian Church (Eastern) as the 2016 Armenian Church Member of the Year. The award was given as part of the 114th Annual Assembly and Clergy Conference at the Saint Gregory of Narek Armenian Church in Cleveland, Ohio. In attendance were hundreds of Armenian Church clergymen and lay leaders from the 44 parishes of the Eastern Diocese and its 18 mission parishes.
Mr. Setrakian accepted his award by emphasizing his philosophy on Armenian community involvement. “Serving the Armenian community is a privilege, an honor, and above all, a calling. All of you here in this room know this first hand. It is not a sacrifice. It is a spiritual reward. We put the needs of our nation and others before ours, and we always keep the preservation of our heritage above all else. It is our duty to do so even though many within the community at large could not understand it.”
Mr. Setrakian closed his speech to a riveting audience with inspiring words about the role of religion in Armenian identity: “We must continue working together, and as one common people we must make concerted effort in preserving our faith and promoting our Christian and national values. Let’s find ways to reengage and inspire our youth. Let’s show our ancestors that we, too, fight for our Church so that we can ensure its prosperity for generations to come. For without our Church, Armenia would be little more than a barren mountainous land in the Caucasus and we, in the diaspora would be a people without spirit.”